Dinkar Balwant Deodhar (14 January 1892 – 24 August 1993) was an Indian cricketer. He played first-class cricket from 1911 to 1948.
 Deodhar on a 1996 stamp of India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 14 January 1892 Poona, Bombay presidency, British India (Now Pune, Maharashtra, India) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 24 August 1993 (aged 101) Pune, Maharashtra, India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Legbreak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 7 July 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cricket career
editDeodhar was born in Poona (now Pune), British India. He was a professor of Sanskrit at Pune College.[1]
Popularly known as the Grand Old Man of Indian Cricket, Deodhar was an aggressive right-hand batsman and a leg-break bowler. He captained Maharashtra in Ranji Trophy matches from 1939 to 1941. In his first-class career, he played 81 matches, scoring 4,522 runs at an average of 39.32 with a highest score of 246.[2]
Deodhar was vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the President of the Maharashtra Cricket Association, and also a national team selector.
Like Bill Ashdown, Deodhar is one of the few people known to have played first-class cricket both before the First World War and after the Second World War, having played in the Bombay Triangular in 1911 and the Ranji Trophy in 1946.[3] In a Ranji Trophy game against Nawanagar in 1944, he scored centuries in both innings, helping his team win.[4] He was aged 53 at the time.[5]
He was awarded the Padma Shri award in 1965 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991 by the Indian Government.[6] He was the first Indian first-class cricketer known to have lived to 100. Vasant Raiji became the second in 2020. Raiji died a few months after becoming a centenarian.[7]
Personal life
editIndia's former National Badminton Champions Tara Deodhar, Sunder Deodhar, and Suman Deodhar are his daughters.[8]
Legacy
editThe Deodhar Trophy, a limited overs inter-zonal cricket tournament played in India since 1973, is named after him. In 1996, India Post issued a commemorative stamp in his honour. A bronze statue of Deodhar was unveiled at Pune's Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in 2012.[9]
References
edit- ^ Krishnan, Sankhya (24 August 2000). "Deodhar: Professor Emeritus of Indian cricket". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ "D. B. Deodhar". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ Coverdale, Brydon (11 March 2017). "It takes a rare cricketer to reach a century, not just make one". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ Maharashtra v Nawanagar, Ranji Trophy 1944/45 (West Zone) at CricketArchive (subscription required)
- ^ Bamzai, Sandeep (15 July 1990). "98 Not Out !". The Indian Express. p. 23.
- ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ "Vasant Raiji profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos".
- ^ Nadkarni, Shirish (14 April 2020). "Past Masters of Indian Badminton: The Deodhar sisters – Tara, Sunder, Suman dominated sport and left lasting legacy". First Post. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ Karhadkar, Amol (8 April 2012). "Prof Deodhar immortalised in bronze". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
External links
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